World record bridal train displayed in RomaniaHot air balloon carries model wearing world's longest bridal train over downtown Bucharest
By The Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) ' A hot air balloon floated over downtown Bucharest on Tuesday carrying a model wearing what is now regarded as the world's longest bridal train.

The 1.85-mile-long (nearly 3-kilometer) ivory train on the model's wedding gown billowed out over a main boulevard in Romania's capital.

The Guinness Book of World Records on Monday recognized the item on the silk and lace gown as the longest train, beating the previous record held by a Dutch designer.

But pedestrians didn't seem to make much of Tuesday's media event, which was organized by the artifact's creators: the Andree Salon fashion house and the organizers of this year's biannual Wedding Fair in Bucharest.

A few bystanders looked up at the balloon, but many others ignored it.

The train, which took 100 days to create, was crafted by a team of 10 seamstresses, said salon spokeswoman Lavinia Lascae. The lace was imported from France, while taffeta and other fabrics were purchased from Italy, costing a total of 24,000 lei ($7,364.48 or '5,580), she added.

Beating a Dutch designer to the record had an added dimension for Romanians, as many are still angry after the Netherlands opposed its entry into the European Union's visa-free travel zone. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte recently demanded that Romania and Bulgaria do more to reform their justice systems and combat corruption and organized crime before he would support integration.

"If the Netherlands does not allow us into Europe, we'll take them out of the world records book," said Alin Caraman, an organizer of the Wedding Fair.